Caught in the Rain
by whiteblossom143
Summary: Lily's fed up of her single life. It's been two years since Hogwarts and she still hasn't found herself a boyfriend. Frankly she's desperate, which is why she allows her friends to set her up on a blinddate. But who's the mystery man going to be?


Lily's friends know how to deal with boys, unlike Lily. Lily's friends know that you should never eat more than your date, unlike Lily. They also know that you should never punch them in the crotch, definitely not like Lily. Therefore when her friends set her up on a blind date with the one by she'd really rather forget, there's bound to be a few problems along the way.

i _DISCLAIMER - I claim none of Harry Potter as my own. It was all J.K Rowling._ /i 

i _A/N – Hello! This is just a random one-shot which I thought up while I was painting a classroom in Africa. I hope you like it and please do drop a review so that I know how to continue with future stories._ /i 

b **Caught in the Rain** /b 

You know what they say; friends, can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Well, to be honest I think that 'they' should shove that statement where the sun don't shine because I could quite happily live without my friends. In fact, I'd be much better off without them.

"You need to get out more Lily!" Meg will say. "You don't know what you're missing."

My GOD! If what I've experienced so far in the dating world is anything to go by then I'm not missing much. I am SO fed up with all those kiss-ass, sleazy scumbags I've had to tolerate. What a waste of space they are.

"But not i _all_ /i boys are like that!"

Sure, that's easy for Sarah to say. She's got the perfect boyfriend; always there for her, always sending her random bouquets of flowers at work which are the size of small elephants at the very least. Heck, the other night they had a fight about who loved who more.

I was very nearly sick at the sight.

Everywhere I go now I see couples. Have you ever noticed just how many couples there are out there?! They're EVERYWHERE! And they just jump out at you when you're feeling most vulnerable, like they're out to show you just how pathetically single you are.

For instance, not two days ago I was walking down the road to St. Mungo's where I work and there's a sudden downpour. Of course, Meg decided that it was crucial she take the only umbrella in our flat to complete her Mary Poppins outfit for the Prewett's fancy dress party the week before.

I just wish I'd told her before that it's one of my own ordinary, muggle umbrellas. All I can say is, it doesn't actually help you fly and if you try jumping off a two-storey building to test it out then the chances are it won't bode well for either the umbrella or the idiot foolish enough to pull off the stunt. Luckily for Meg, a tree broke her fall. The umbrella was slightly less lucky, being the object the was speared by the tree branch, holding Meg up until someone took pity and went to help her…

…okay fine, I was just worried about the umbrella. But how can you blame me? It's my only umbrella, or i _was_ /i my only umbrella. And even if Meg had fallen out the tree, the amount of alcohol she'd consumed by then would have been enough to numb the pain caused by the aforementioned fall.

The umbrella however, could not be saved, despite my desperate attempts to do so. And so I was caught out in this downpour with no umbrella, and my robes were soaked through. Appropriately, at that very moment a happy, jolly couple come skipping by me. Well actually, maybe not skipping. But I'm sure they i _would_ /i have been if not for the damned rain and risk of falling and breaking something and then being sent to hospital thus ending the happy, jolly moment they were sharing. I glared jealously at the girl as her boyfriend drew her in close and pulled off his coat to hold over their heads.

Damnation, Meg and Sarah are so right. I _do_ want a boyfriend. It's the only reason I agreed to let them set me up on all these blind dates. But so far I'm giving up hope of ever finding a partner.

I can see it now; living alone in a dusty hovel that smells like stale pee and dead rabbits, chasing away the gangs of boys from my door with my walking stick when they call me 'that – crazy – old – lady – from – next – door – who – totally – should – have – found – a – boyfriend –before – it – was – too – late – but – now – it – is – too – late – so -she's – going – to – die – alone – and - unloved'.

In short; the outlook is bleak.

Bleak as an abandoned house in the middle of a forest in Estonia which was built purely for the purpose of being bleak and therefore crazy people like me can use it in our far-fetched similes.

And suddenly all those cliché, romantic scenes that, whenever seen on TV are met with a loud, resounding groan of 'Cheeeeeeeesy!" are scenarios which I fantasize about being in myself. Like the hunky guy catching the girl just before she hits the ground when she trips over in her new heels and suddenly their faces are just an inch apart. Or when the girl wipes the sauce lovingly off her partners mouth when he accidentally spills it all over himself because he can't stop gazing into her eyes or oh sweet mother of Merlin, please just stop me. I'm going crazy!

Sarah says I'm too fussy. Well if fussy means punching a guy in the crotch when he tells me that he likes my dress, but it would look even better on his bedroom floor then yes, I i _am_ /i a little fussy. But if any girl settles for scum like that then she's getting desperate…you know, now that I think about it, that guy wasn't so bad. Maybe I'll give him a ring and suggest a second date? Hmm…

Oh, who am I kidding? He'd probably get a restraining order against me if I went near him again.

Then there was the guy who wouldn't quit talking about himself, and when I told him that there was a bit of food stuck in his teeth he squealed, spent half an hour looking at his reflection in the back of a spoon attempting to get the piece of food out and for the remainder of the meal he'd ask every two minutes whether it was gone yet.

I don't mind crazy or abnormal people seeing as I'm not entirely ordinary myself. I think I'd get a little bored with someone like Sarah's boyfriend although he's a nice guy, but he's not spontaneous and exciting enough for me.

On every single date I've been set up on, I try to imagine myself spending the rest of my life with that guy. It sounds creepy but I like to be sure with these things, and on every date I've been on so far I just can't see it going any further. It's disappointing but in a way I feel a little relieved at the same time because I know that I'm not obliged to dedicate myself to anything. I have a i _slight_ /i commitment phobia. It's no biggie, I just get scared when I finally find the thing that I want because I've spent so long looking for it and then suddenly WHAM! It's right there in front of me and I just can't deal with it.

That's what it was like when I got accepted onto the Auror's course at the ministry. I'd spent the best part of my life working towards that one goal and when I finally got it I couldn't believe. I just completely freaked, chickened out of it and went for the healer's course instead. It's something I've regretted ever since and I like to think that some day I'll go back and do it.

But I know that if I'm ever going to do this, I need to start now. I just can't shake that image of myself in fifty years time, chasing little kids around while wearing my dressing gown and favourite pair of fluffy slippers and screaming obscenities at them as I wave my walking stick around. Even worse is the image of happy old couples holding hands as they walk past me with those looks of pity because I'm all alone and they've got someone to spend the rest of their lives with.

So i _that_ /i is why I've allowed Sarah to set me up once again tonight. I'm still not sure about this whole 'Blind Date' thing. I remember watching the show at home with Petunia. She was a i _big_ /i fan of it. I'd rather scratch my own eyes out with a pair of sugar tongs than admit it, but I did kind of love it too, I just refused to have any common interests with Petunia. But at least on that show Cilla Black allowed the boy or girl to ask the hopeful contestants three questions before they chose. Even if the questions were pointless, giving no background of the contestants at all. All the questions were there for were to prompt answers filled with sexual innuendoes which I didn't actually get at the time, but laughed all the same. Petunia thought I did it just to annoy her. I swear, at first it really wasn't about that. But heck, it really did annoy her and I have to admit, that's something I enjoy doing an awful lot of the time.

But at least they still got to choose. I just meet these guys on the night and so far they've all been i _big_ /i disappointments. Sarah claims that this guy she'd picked out for me tonight is perfect. He's a colleague of her boyfriend's at the ministry and is in just the same situation as me. So I'm guessing he's a desperate spinster in need of security and affection but just can't seem to hold down a single relationship?

Sounds like one fun bloke!

And you know what? He's probably thinking the exact same thing about me right now. I always wonder what my blind dates think of me when they first see me, as they have no clue who they're going to go out with either. Truthfully, I don't much like thinking about it because they probably think I look like a hideous monster and that's not a thought that sends my self-esteem rocketing sky-high.

EEK! It's 7:53. I've got seven minutes before I meet this guy and decide whether I'm going to thank Sarah later or kill her. What?! I can't help forming first impressions of people, it's just what I do. Meg's already dressed me in a little black number. It's rather nice actually. Halter neck and shorter than I'd normally wear but my legs will be tucked under a table for most of the evening so who cares?

My hair's down for once, I just felt like a change from the normal bun. I'd always felt a little self-conscious about my bun after James bloody Potter said that I looked like McGonagall back at Hogwarts. Needless to say, he never made the same mistake again after I stole his broomstick and threatened to pull it apart twig by twig, splinter by splinter. Ha! I'll never forget his face when I sent him that random twig at breakfast with the threatening note attached. Sarah called it sadistic but I think it served as a just warning that I wasn't someone he wanted to mess with. Meg was back at Hogwarts with me so she knows how I feel about it and decided my self-confidence would definitely be improved if I had my hair down. Who knew you could get hair therapy?

So now Sarah's doing her bit; the pep talk before I go on the date. Her pep talks always make me laugh. I can tell she just wants to do this for me because she knows that I'll mess it up.

"And I think it's best that you i _don't_ /i punch your date in the crotch this time. It really doesn't help Lily, you should know that by now."

Behind Sarah's back Meg was giving me a big thumbs up for the crotch-punching incident. I tried desperately to keep my face completely straight in front of Sarah.

"And I don't care if he tells you that you eat a lot of food for a girl, just don't throw spaghetti Bolognese on his lap. We really can't afford any more dry-cleaning bills. Oh and Lily, i _please_ /i be nice…"

"I'm always nice!" I said indignantly.

"Um – well…try to be a little i _nicer_ /i then won't you?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry," I reassured her. "I won't do anything to scare him off."

Sarah sighed with relief.

"Unless he deserves it of course-"

"Oh Lily!" moaned Sarah.

She kept on berating me until I finally promised that I would restrain myself from causing any serious bodily harm to my date.

"I'd say you should greet him with a nice big slap," said Meg. "The guy's five minutes late! You didn't ask some retard out for Lily did you Sarah?"

"Of course not! And don't you dare even i _think_ /i of slapping him Lily."

"I won't! I did pinky promise, remember? I'd never break a pinky promise."

"I know, sorry. Just think of that while you're on the date," she said in exasperation.

"Yeah, if her date ever turns up!"

"Don't be such a pessimist Meg," argued Sarah. "He'll be here soon, he's only running five minutes late after all!"

So we all sat on the couch, waiting for my mystery date. I played with a bit of loose thread on my dress, Sarah kept slapping my hand to make me stop it and Meg kept glancing at the clock. The minutes stretched on and found us in much the same position as we were before. My hand was a little sore from all the slapping by now so I stopped messing about with the thread and looked at the clock on the wall.

8:48

I huffed loudly.

"I think I've been stood-"

But before I could get all the words out my mouth the doorbell rang, playing the chirpy little tune that Sarah insisted we got, which she said was 'cute' but just made me want to bang my head against a brick wall until it stopped. I resisted the urge to do this because it would have messed up my hair and I didn't want to look i _completely_ /i repulsive when my date saw me.

Sarah jumped up from the couch and went to answer the door, giving us satisfied grins as she passed. Meg said, "Oh great. He's only three-quarters of an hour late. How about we give him a medal?"

Sarah ignored the sarcastic comment and swept past us. I stood up nervously and could hear Sarah greeting my date at the door. Meg pulled at my dress and hair a little and stood back to admire her work. Bless, I could see the pride in her eyes.

"You'll do," she said grudgingly. "Just."

Humph. I know she's proud really, underneath that cold, unfeeling exterior.

Okay, here he comes! Ooh, excitement! I can practically feel it in the air…oh wait. That would be the perfume Meg just sprayed all over me but still, this is it! I can hear him chatting with Sarah as they walk through the kitchen.

"Sorry I'm late Sarah, bit of confusion with the address that Tom gave me. You're boyfriend seems to think that you live at number 42 instead of 24. I ended up being faced with an eighty year-old woman with no teeth and almost had a heart attack when I thought she was my date for this evening."

Mmmm, his voice sounds all deep and sexy! Oh thank you Sarah! She's set me up with a sexy hunk! Actually he could still be a four foot minger who happens to have a nice voice but I wait in hope.

"Lily! This is your date for tonight!"

I was still kind of daydreaming about four foot men and wondering whether they'd be allowed to go on those rides at Muggle theme-parks where you have to be a certain height to ride them so I wasn't really paying attention to any of this. It was only when I heard a loud exclamation of, "EVANS?!" did I snap out of it, and i _boy_ /i was I brought back to earth with a bump. Actually no, it wasn't a bump, it was more like a complete wipe out from which I just remained in a daze for a little while.

"James Potter? JAMES POTTER IS MY BLIND DATE?!"

He looks good! Crud, I did i _not_ /i just think that.

Woah! I really just can't get my mind round this! And neither can he by the looks of it. He's staring at me like he can't quite believe what's going on and he keeps ruffling his hair in that annoying way. I can't believe he still does that.

"You two know each other?" Sarah asked in mild surprise.

Meg was cracking up in the corner of the room.

"Shut up Meg," I growled dangerously. She didn't seem to catch onto my threatening tone and carried on laughing at me.

"Yeah, we….er. We went to school together," he said weakly.

"You don't say?" said Sarah. "How convenient, you should get along just fine then."

Meg snorted in derision and even Potter and I were staring at her in disbelief.

I hate tension.

Meg loves it.

"Well, you see here's the inside scoop Sarah," said Meg conspirationally and pointed at us both as though we were some kind of museum exhibit as she spoke. "Lils and Potter here weren't exactly bum chums back at Hogwarts. Far from it in fact and even that's an understatement-"

"I HATE HIM!"

"Yes, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, they had several disagreements."

"Oh come on now!" said Potter, still looking a little stunned but brought to his senses by my sudden outburst. "Hate is a bit strong don't you think?"

Okay, fine. So I like the dramatics. But I i _do_ /i strongly dislike him. What can I say, I can hold a i _serious_ /i grudge when I want to.

"Fine, but I'm not all that fond of you," I admitted sulkily.

"That's quite obvious," said Potter chuckling. There was a decidedly awkward pause following this statement until he said, "So, are you coming on this date or not?"

Is he serious?

"Are you serious?"

"No actually, he lost a bet so he's stripping at some hen party tonight. But I'm sure you'd rather me than Sirius."

"Oh please, you still use that old joke?" Meg said disbelievingly.

"Just thought I'd spring it on you to remind you of old times."

"And what pleasant memories it conjures," she returned sarcastically. "Now will you and Lily get a move on? I want to slob around the flat in my PJs and I can hardly do that if we have guests now can I?"

She looked at me expectantly. Oh don't give me that look Megan Dillan. There is i _no_ /i way you're forcing me to-

"Come on Lily, get a move on. If he bothers you then you can do exactly what you do to every other date."

"Oh no you won't Lily Evans! You made a pinky promise!"

Actually, I can see this as being quite fun. Give Potter one evening of absolute hell to pay him back for all those stupid pranks he pulled on me at school. Sounds good to me.

"Fine, I'll just get my coat," I said as I walked into the kitchen to the hallway. Sarah must have seen the evil smirk on my face.

"Come on Potter, let's go."

"Wait a minute Lily," said Sarah following us through the kitchen. "I know that look."

"What look?" I said innocently as I pulled on my white coat, took Potter's arm and steered him towards the door.

"Don't you dare punch him in the crotch Lily!"

"WHAT?!" yelped James.

"So did you book a table anywhere?" I said sweetly as we walked down the road towards town. The new black heels that Meg insisted I wear were already killing me!

"Um-well. I i _did_ /i have a table booked at that Italian restaurant but we're a i _teensy_ /i bit late for that so they may have given it away by now."

Oh fandabbydoozy.

"So what do you suggest we do now?"

"There's a wonderful chippy not far from here."

"You want to go to a chippy for our date? I'm wearing this and you want to get fish and chips?"

"Er…yeah."

Sigh.

"Fine. Let's go before I change my mind and break my pinky promise to Sarah."

"You mean you actually did hit someone in the balls? Should I be scared?"

Ha! He's already wetting himself in fright!

"You should be terrified. The bloke I punched is still in St. Mungo's. I'm not allowed to treat him though because every time I do he starts whimpering and covers his privates with the metal fruit bowl from the bedside table."

Potter laughed and it warmed me a little in the chill winter air.

"I was wondering why you weren't dating anyone. I guess most guys would rather keep their manhood eh?"

"What about you? You're still here. Or maybe that's because there's nothing much to lose."

He kept smiling at me. Buggeration! He's supposed to be running for the hills right now. He's one tough cookie.

"I think you know that's not true," he said, throwing me an infamous cheeky Potter grin. "And you forget that I know you Evans, and I'm used to all the threats."

Something strange struck me about what he'd just said.

"You know, this is the first time I've been on a date where I'm addressed by my surname."

I swear it was just a passing comment by which I did not mean a i _thing_ /i .

"How about I call you Lily then?"

Better.

"Fine. But call me Lils and you'll wish you hadn't."

"Don't worry. After what you did to Sirius when he made the same mistake is enough incentive to not call you by that name."

"I'm glad you learn by others mistakes."

"But you have to call me James. Now…"

He leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice.

"Would you like plain chips or cheesy chips?" he asked with one eyebrow cocked and he nodded his head to the side. I looked up to see we were by the chippy already.

"Oh, um. Plain?"

"Easy to please aren't you?" he said, going to order.

Just after he'd asked the man for a big bag of chips I decided to stir things up a little.

"Jaaaames," I said, sidling up to him and fluttering my eyelashes. "Can we get some fish as well?"

"Sure," he replied. "Can we have two bits of cod as well please Jim?"

"'Course James. Who's the pretty lady?" he asked, nodding at me.

Aw, this guy's so sweet! Too bad he's old enough to be my dad or I'd ditch Potter and go for a date with him instead.

"This is Lily. Lily, Jim. We're on a date!" he finished, beaming.

I waved and said hi, suppressing my laughter induced by the excitement in James' voice when he announced that we were on a date.

Jim wrapped up two more packages and placed them on the counter while James pulled out some muggle money to pay. Just as he was handing over the coins, I spoke up again.

"And some chicken nuggets too?"

Grrr, grrrr, grrrrr. Why won't he stop smiling?! Boys usually i _hate_ /i it when I eat so much!

"Anything else?" he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Oh, um…yes actually. I'd like another bag of chips, a large bag this time, a bag of mushy peas, a bag of curly chips, a bag of cheesy chips, actually make that two, and a chicken pie."

I beamed proudly. Ha! Swallow i _that_ /i mister sarcastic 'anything else?'.

"What she said," he told Jim without even blinking.

WHAT?!

"That's quite an appetite you've got Lily," Jim said, pushing the huge mound of food towards us over the counter.

"Yeah," I said nervously.

I _hate_ the fact that I'm too old to use the 'I'm a growing girl' excuse anymore. It was so damn useful.

James had to dig in his wallet to get more money and handed it over to Jim who waved a cheery good bye. I picked up several of the packages in my hands and James picked up the rest. Drat, I honestly don't know if I'm actually going to be able to eat all of this.

"So," I said awkwardly as we walked out the shop. "Where are we going to eat this?"

"I though we could go sit in the park."

"Okay. Um - you don't mind me getting all this food do you?"

"Not at all Lily. I hate it when girls usually just say they don't want anything and then start nicking my chips. It's great that you've got a healthy appetite."

Oh i _damn_ /i him! Damn him to hell! But I've got more tricks up my sleeve. Oh yes! I'll prove he's just as arrogant as every other boy I've ever met because boys just can't resist talking about themselves.

We sat down on one of the benches in the park. The only light afforded to us was the bright moon and the street lamps.

"So James, what are you doing at the ministry?"

"I'm an Auror," he said, unwrapping the bag of chips and eating one.

Ooh, pang in the heart. I want to be an Auror!

"Didn't you want to be an Auror Lily? I remember you getting on the course but you never came?"

"Er yeah, I just sort of changed my mind you know…"

"Changed your mind? But it was your dream!"

How in hell does he know that?!

"Well I decided to do healing alright! Now stop talking about me and tell me how the other Marauders are."

"Er, fine actually. Peter's managed to get a job at last in the Leaky Cauldron so he can help pay rent now. Remus'll probably move out soon seeing as he's got a pretty serious relationship with a girl he works with in this second hand bookstore. Sirius and I will probably stay living at the flat. We both work as Aurors so we're not there most of the time although now Remus is insisting I find a girlfriend so he keeps setting me up on all these dates."

"Why are i _you_ /i of all people having trouble finding girls?"

"I don't have a problem finding girls! It's finding the right one that's the problem!"

"You must be fussy."

"Talk about yourself," he scoffed. "You're on this date too. I always knew you had commitment issues seeing as you wouldn't even go on i _one_ _date_ /i with me at school!"

"I didn't have issues with commitment! I had issues with i _you_ /i !"Ha!

"Whatever. So i _why_ /i was it that you backed out of the Auror's course again?"

"I've already told you!" I shouted angrily. "I decided to do healing instead!"

"Sure," he said, plainly not buying any of it. "You obviously know what you want."

"Of course I do! And this i _is_ /i what I want!"

"Fine. But you thought before that you wanted all this food and now you're not eating any of it."

Oh, he was good. He was very good.

I graced him with an angry huff and started eating.

"That's better. Anyway, tell me more about the guy you punched in the crotch."

While I ate my food I told him about all the disastrous dates I'd been on. He'd laugh at the right moments and just listened to me while I rambled on and on. Sometimes he'd tell me about some of the girls Remus had set him up with, such as the girl who kept 'accidentally' falling onto his lap or dropping something in front of him and then picking it up so that he'd get a rather upfront view of what underwear she'd decided to wear under that _very_ short skirt. Or the girl who was a foot taller than him and when he told her he'd had a nice time but wasn't yet ready to take it any further, she picked him up and threw him in a dumpster.

At some point the conversation changed so that we were telling each other all sorts of random things about ourselves. Phobias, weird dreams we'd had recently, likes and dislikes…

"And my number _one_ pet hate," I said, "is when they write on those bottles of pills 'keep away from children'. I mean honestly! I know plenty of i _adults_ /i who'd do more damage to themselves with them. If a kid found them they'd probably struggle to even open the bottle!"

"Very true," he agreed. "You've obviously put a lot of thought into this."

"Well yes, quite a bit. But it is an important point don't you think?"

"Oh yes, i _very_ /i important," he said, smiling at me sweetly. "Perhaps you could start up your own political party and use that as your slogan at the next election campaign."

"I think I will," I said laughing.

In the past hour or so that we'd been chatting I'd eaten practically everything, with his help of course, and we were now sharing the last bag of cheesy chips. To be honest this was the most I'd ever been allowed to talk about myself on a date and I came to the shocking realisation that I was actually having a good time.

It was new to me.

And the thing was he seemed genuinely interested in me, and I was in him because he hadn't disclosed as much about himself as my previous dates had. I found myself wanting to know even more about him.

We fell into an easy silence and I spent the time wondering whether I'd be going too far if I asked if he'd ever got 'serious' with a girl. Nope, on second thoughts, that really would just turn this comfortable silence into a decidedly awkward silence.

"So, family?"

"What?" he asked, coming out of his reverie.

"Family. You got any? It's just, I never really got to know all that much about you at Hogwarts."

"Not that you'd have wanted to," he said laughingly. "If I'd come up to you at school and started giving you my family history you would have told me to go jump off the Astronomy tower."

"Well, yes probably. But we aren't at school anymore are we?"

"No, fair enough. Okay then, the only actual family I have at the moment is Sirius, Remus and Peter."

He looked a little sad.

"What happened to your parents?" I asked tentatively.

"Killed by Voldemort, directly."

"I'm sorry James."

"Don't be. I think they'd have preferred to die fighting anyway, it was just their style."

"You've got a pretty strange family now then."

"Yeah. Sirius is my twin brother, Peter's our little sister and Remus…Remus is our mum. Mummy Remus."

I laughed.

"Nice. I'm sure he'd be glad to hear it."

"What about you?"

"An older sister. My parents died a couple of years ago in a car crash and my sister hasn't spoken a word to me since. Not that she did much before either. She's married so will probably be starting a family of her own soon anyway."

"She sounds sweet."

"Oh, she's an angel."

We sat in a meditative silence.

"It's starting to rain," I observed in a mildly interested voice.

"You wanna go find some shelter?"

"Neh. A bit of rain never hurt anyone."

"Actually, it can you know. I mean, what if someone slips and breaks their leg? Or they're wearing glasses which get misted up by the rain, can't see a thing and accidentally walk in front of a bus? Or even worse, in front of a death eater?"

Blimey, it was just a phrase.

"Er…sure. It could happen."

He gave me a lop-sided grin and started to take off his coat.

"What're you doing?"

"Taking off my coat."

"Oh well yes, that does make plenty of sense. It's raining - and you're taking off your coat."

He ignored my sarcasm. Once he'd shrugged off his long black coat he brushed it down and then, taking me completely by surprise, draped over me. It was all warm and snugly from having just been on James, and it smelt all warm and snugly too. Like a fresh, cosy bed.

"Thanks James, but you really don't need to do that. Now you'll get wet and what kind of a date would you be if you were all soggy?"

"What, are you planning to snog me senseless tonight Lily?"

Oh dear lord alive, I'm blushing like a little girl!

"Relax, I was joking. You're under no obligation to do that."

"I know!"

Ahhh! Why did that come out as a squeak? WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY AM I SQUEAKING?!!

He gave me such an adorable little smile and said, "You're cute when you're nervous."

"Er – thanks?"

"You're welcome."

I watched as the rain got heavier and heavier until James' long, messy hair was completely plastered to his forehead and his glasses had little beads of water covering them. I laughed and he looked at me.

"I hope you aren't laughing at me Miss. Evans?"

"No," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "Why would I be laughing at you? It's not your fault that you look like a drowned hedgehog."

"Drowned hedgehog? What interesting similes you manage to come up with."

"It's my speciality," I said with a smirk that could rival his.

"Well now, that's just not fair! You see, letting you borrow my coat was only a temporary arrangement. You may have missed the small print in the agreement so let me fill you in…"

He took out his wand and wordlessly conjured a random piece of parchment from mid-air. It was obviously blank but he pretended to be scrutinising it all the same.

"Ah yes," he said. "Here we are. It quite clearly states that 'one Miss. Lily Evans, on borrowing Mr. James Potter's favourite coat, which he had to work a whole extra shift for to buy, must return aforementioned coat to it's rightful owner when he so decides. As recompense, she shall be dunked into the fountain in the middle of the park-"

"WHAT!! There is i _no_ /i way you're doing that James!"

"But Lily, you have no choice in the matter," he explained calmly. "It says it right here on this bit of parchment."

He hit the parchment with the back of his hand to emphasize his point.

"Well I don't remember signing this agreement," I said triumphantly. "Let's have a look at the parchment…"

I held out my hand with an impervious air but he refused to give it to me. He quickly flashed it in front of my face with a short, "It's written right there," and before I knew what was going on he'd whipped the coat off me and was holding me in his arms.

"James put me down, I'm getting wet!"

"Oh don't worry Lily! You won't even notice the rain once you get in the fountain."

My date's a psychopath! Help, HELP!...But it is quite nice being held in these arms. I wonder if he works out much? Hmm…

"Okay James, if this is about the hedgehog remark then I'm sorry."

"Silly Lily, you think I'm going to let you off don't you? Well I'm not. I'm just doing this for fun now."

"You're going to burn in hell for this Potter."

"See you there!" he said jovially before throwing me over the stone edge of the fountain into the icy cold water.

The cold, THE COLD! But hey, what do ya know? He was right; I really can't feel the rain any more!

"POTTER!" I roared.

"Yes Lily my sweet?"

I whipped round to find he was right beside me in the fountain. A stream of water, erupting from the trident of the marble Poseidon who stood proudly in the centre of the water-feature, was gushing down upon James' head and he had a goofy grin on his face. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Not laughing at me again are we Lily? I may just have to dunk you-"

I shoved him back under the water before he got the chance and ran to hide behind the rearing, marble horses which were dragging the sea god's chariot; foam frothing from their mouths. I could hear James calling out for me and then wading around in his search.

Oh boy was it difficult to hold my laughter in as I snuck around the enormous statues to see James' back just in front of me. He was going the same way as I had just come and the opportunity was too good to miss.

"BOO!" I yelled whilst jumping on his back. The force and shock of my reappearance sent him flying forward into the water, with me sprawled on top of him. By now my dress was thoroughly soaked and was riding up my legs quite a bit. I started to adjust it, completely forgetting that I was at that very moment drowning James until I felt something wriggling beneath me.

"Oh, sorry about that James…forgot you were under there," I said helping him up.

He coughed up a bit of water before saying, "No worries, most of my dates try to kill me one way or another."

After some of the dates he'd told me about I realised it was true.

It was late now. I'd lost track of time long ago but I hadn't seen any sign of civilisation for a while. It felt as though James and I really were the only two people in the whole world.

"I'm getting a bit cold James," I admitted, rubbing my arms which were covered in goosebumps; at first the bad kind, but they quickly changed to the good kind when he pulled me to him and wrapped me in a tight embrace. Being just as cold and wet as me, he couldn't offer much warmth but I felt comfort being in his arms anyway.

Woah! This was getting odd, these weren't normal feelings were they? i _Nothing_ /i about this date had been normal so far, I'd been wholly prepared to sabotage it at first. But now something had shifted and I no longer wanted it to end, not because I wanted another shot at ruining everything but because I wanted to spend more time with James. I felt embarrassed that I'd been so immature as to only come on this date to wreck it instead of to try and get to know him better, as he'd obviously been prepared to do with me.

"Do you want to go home now?" he asked. He looked thoroughly put out at the idea.

"No, no! I was just wondering…whether you'd like to go and get a hot chocolate?"

His eyes brightened and his arms tightened around me.

"I thought you'd never ask Lily," he murmured softly into my hair.

"It's only hot chocolate!" I said laughing. "I'm not asking you to marry me or anything."

"Oh damn, really? I thought that you were speaking in riddles?" he said sarcastically. "I know you aren't Lily, but it means you're enjoying this date just as much as I am, right?"

He held me at arm's length and peered into my face expectantly.

"Well, I think I might be able to put up with you for a little longer."

"How brave of you," he said, lending me a helping hand as we stepped out of the fountain.

Wringing out our clothes was useless because it was still raining, even more heavily than before if anything. James went to retrieve his coat from the bench we'd been sitting on, put all our rubbish into the bin and I lead the way to a lovely little coffee shop which I knew would still be open at this time.

Somewhere along the way I'd reached for James' hand with my own, an action which surprised me just as much as it surprised him. Yet neither of us said anything in reaction to it. I could see him smiling contentedly and I felt the same warmth stir in my own heart. It just felt right.

The little bell tinkled brightly as we entered the cheerful, little café not too far from the park. I approached the counter, pulling James along behind me and called out.

"Izzy? ISABELLE?"

A pretty, young lady popped her head around the door behind the counter and her dark, shining eyes brightened when she saw me.

"Lily! Twice in one day? I'd give you the 'Customer of the year award' if we had one!"

"And I'd hang it proudly above my fireplace if you did."

She laughed warmly and gestured to James with the dishtowel she was holding in her hand.

"Who's this?"

"This is my date. Date, this is Isabelle."

James laughed and Isabelle rolled her eyes at me.

"My name's James Potter," he said, reaching out a hand to shake hers.

Izzy looked impressed.

"You're going out with a Potter eh, Lily? Lucky girl." She looked briefly at our interlocked fingers adding, "And it's going well I see."

I blushed a little and nodded at her.

James looked a little confused that Izzy knew about the Potter's wizarding fame and wealth so I explained.

"Izzy's a squib so she's knows all about the wizarding world. She's just useless at the magic bit."

Izzy smiled and hit me lightly with the dishtowel.

"But Lily's always happy to lend a hand, aren't you Lily."

"Only because you make such good hot chocolate," I said. "Otherwise you'd be on your own buddy!"

"And will you be having some of my famous hot chocolate tonight?"

"Yes please! Two mugs if you don't mind."

"Not at all Lily, not at all. Sit yourselves down now and I'll go fix it up for you. You both look as though you need a good warm up, I didn't know it was raining i _that_ /i heavily out there! What were you two thinking, staying out in that?"

James and I shared a secretive smile while Izzy returned through the door she'd just come through, tutting loudly in mock chastisement. James and I took a table by the window, unclasping our hands as we sat opposite one another.

"She seems nice. How'd you get to know her?"

"What, Izzy? Oh, I don't know. Meg and I got to know her here at the café first. We thought she was just a muggle but after we'd known her for a couple of months her mother, who's a witch, came to visit and we heard them arguing in the kitchen about sending Izzy on that 'Kwikspell' course for squibs and realised that we'd been wrong about her."

"So does she not want to take the 'Kwikspell' course?"

"No, Izzy doesn't really mind being a squib. Her parents are ashamed though and are always telling her so. Mother's a half-blood and father's a muggleborn wizard so, as their only child, they expected her to go to Hogwarts too. But she's proud of who she is and loves working in this café so she feels no need to push herself into struggling with spells and whatnot."

"Admirable," said James sincerely and I was glad he didn't feel the same as Izzy's parents did about it.

We were talking about what mischief Sirius must surely be getting up to at the hen party when Izzy came to our table carrying two steaming mugs of hot chocolate with plenty of frothy cream on top. My taste buds were tingling at the very sight of it and my hands itched to feel the warmth.

We sipped at our drinks in silence for a bit, contemplating how the evening had gone so far. Well, at least I was. He could be thinking about a parade of dancing monkeys and I'd have no idea, but personally I was going over the events prior to this and relishing every moment.

"What're you smiling about?"

I tore my gaze from the rain-streaked window and looked at James who was watching me.

"Just about this evening," I said, laughing at the little cream moustache on his upper lip. "But now I'm laughing at you."

He looked a little affronted, still not having realised the cream so I picked up a napkin, leant forward and said, "Here, you've managed to get cream all over yourself."

I dabbed softly at his lip and my hand lingered a little longer than necessary, taking in the way he kept staring at me with that dumbfounded expression, and how his eyes danced with warmth and light.

There was a small i '_hem, hem'_ /i from my left i (_A/N – I know what you might be thinking but _ u _NO_ /u _, Izzy is not related to Umbridge because Izzy, and it's very important that you grasp this readers, is NICE and no-one related to Umbridge could _ u _possibly_ /u _ be nice)_ /i and we both looked up to see Izzy, standing with hands on her hips, wearing a little white apron and an amused grin on her dainty, freckled face. Realising that my hand had been hovering by James' lips for the past minute, I hastily snatched it away and blushed a little.

"You know, I'm not sure I've _ever_ seen you blush as much as this Lily."

That only caused me to blush even more, and for Izzy to laugh even more.

"Well, if you're finished then I'll take those mugs for you."

"I can't believe it's still raining!"

"You know, we could just use a bubble spell to cover us, or transfigure something into an umbrella?"

"…"

"You're wondering why you hadn't thought of that?"

"Why didn't I? I'm a witch for God's sake! I have i _got_ /i to stop forgetting that."

James laughed at me and whipped out his wand. It was far warmer, not to mention dry, inside the bubble James cast over the both of us. It was strange to see the glittering curtain of rain falling around us, yet we were completely unaffected by it.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

"No problem. So have you got work tomorrow?"

"Yep," I replied, none too enthusiastically. "I'm on call."

"Not enjoying it so much huh?"

"Oh James," I uttered softly. "You know as well as I do that Healing isn't what I want to do."

"I know, just wanted to get you to admit it."

I shoved him in the side when I saw his triumphant grin, pushing him outside the bubble briefly so that when he came back in, his left side was splattered with rain. It didn't stop him smiling at me.

"You should just quit and become an Auror Lily, if that's what you want. You can't hold back forever."

"I know, I know. But I can't be sure that when I finally do become an Auror, it'll be everything I've always wanted it to be or just another disappointment."

"I think you'll find that it's everything you've ever wanted, and nothing you ever expected. It could be perfect for you."

He was looking extremely serious for once and I had this nagging suspicion that we'd drifted from the topic of my career path now.

"I think you're right James, I'll give it some serious thought."

"Good," he said brightly. "Now tell me, why is it that-"

Suddenly the heel of my damned shoe snapped and I went toppling over with the ungainly cry of, "SUGARY PINEAPPLES!!!"

But before my face met the cold, hard pavement, I found myself hovering just above it.

"Sugary pineapples?" James asked laughingly as he turned me over in his arms and lent over me to check that I was alright. I was still lying almost horizontally, propped up by his arms. Sigh really warm, i _strong_ /i arms. Okay, snap out of it now Lily.

"Sorry," I said with a little gasping laugh. "Meg made me wear the shoes."

"Don't worry, you won't have to wear them again."

He held up the broken heal of my shoe and we both laughed. Both of us stopped short when we realised i _just_ /i how strange this position was; the muffled sound of the rain falling around us, how his hazel eyes were swirling as they came closer and closer, how our lips were now only an inch apart.

And then POP! All of a sudden the rain was coursing over us and we snapped out of our daze. The odd silence of the bubble was replaced with the cold, harsh pounding of rain. James pulled me upright saying, "Bubble must have burst."

"It doesn't matter," I said, shaking off the feeling I'd felt at James proximity. It wasn't so easy to get rid of though. "After earlier, I don't think a bit more rain will do any damage."

"But it could still-"

"You've just proved that you can stop me from slipping over and breaking my leg, and I assure you James. If there i _were_ /i actually any buses or death eaters around and your glasses steamed up, I'd make sure you didn't walk in front of them."

"Thanks," he said. "I appreciate the sentiment. Do you want a piggy-back?"

"What, even after everything you've seen me eat tonight? I probably weigh about the same as a double-decker bus being driven by my brother-in-law and loaded with the 'weight watchers' society who have seriously failed their 'Don't bother with losing any weight for now, just try not to i _gain_ /i another two stone like you did last time' task for the week."

"Your similes never cease to amaze me Lily, but I'm sure I can manage it. And I'm at a loss to see how you could possibly weigh just that much when you're so short."

He smirked playfully at me and I smacked his arm.

"Oi! I am i _not_ /i short, you are just abnormally tall. Now give me a piggy back, before I cut you down to size."

"Yes ma'am," he answered, bending his knees so that I could jump on his back.

"Oof," he grunted. "Well, who would've guessed? You're simile was actually pretty accurate."

"Unless you want another near-death experience on this date Mr. Potter, I suggest you keep you're fat mouth shut."

"This'll be my stop," I said, hopping off James' back as he stopped beside my door. "Thanks for the ride."

"It was my pleasure Lily."

"Well aren't you the gentleman?" I observed with a smile.

"As ever."

I turned to face him and the lack of street lamps around this area made it difficult to read the expression on his face. Only the bright moon illuminated his soft eyes. There was a slight pause.

"I'm sorry about tonight," he said shamefully. "With turning up late and then missing our table at the restaurant. Oh, and for dunking you in a freezing cold fountain…and for your shoes breaking and-"

"Shut up James," I said softly and, shocking myself even, I grabbed him by his wet shirt front and pressed my lips against his. I knew he'd been caught unawares so it took him a few seconds before he responded, wrapping his arms around me and pulling my body up against his. His lips moved tenderly over mine briefly before the kiss ended. I had to restrain from launching myself at him again which was difficult to say the least.

"I had a brilliant time tonight," I whispered in his ear. "And we can always go to some fancy restaurant next time."

"N-next time?" he stuttered, still holding me around the waist.

"You do want to go out again don't you?" I asked, suddenly panicked that I'd come across way too strong.

"I can't think of anything I want more Lily. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. I mean, it took me nine years just to get this date with you."

I chuckled.

"This whole thing was pretty unexpected if you ask me."

"Yes," he said laughing. "Well it was a blind date."

We smiled contentedly at each other. And instantly I knew that I'd beaten through those barriers which made me afraid to look into the future and it was no longer a long, bleak road of loneliness. I couldn't ever i _know_ /i what was going to happen, but I didn't need to anymore because that's what life's about; a series of unexpected events which we're all bound for and which we deal with when they come. I was happy.

"Sorry," he said, realising that he'd been holding me for about five minutes now as we just gazed at each other. "I'll let you get into your flat."

"So I'll see you again?"

"Of course!" he said enthusiastically. "Just owl me whenever you're free."

"What if you don't have the time when I owl you?"

"I'll make time," he said seriously. "Voldemort could be sitting at my desk and I'd just tell him that I needed to reschedule the meeting so I wouldn't be late for our date again."

"I'm touched, but I'd really rather I wasn't the reason that you blew off Voldemort."

"Don't flatter yourself," he smiled. "I'd only be ditching him because I love being with someone who eats more than me, especially when it's a girl. Makes me feel much better."

"Oh shut up," I muttered. "Thanks again for tonight James. It was…different."

"Good different?"

" i _Definitely_ /i good different," I said warmly, walking up to my door and opening it. "I'll owl you soon James."

"Goodnight Lily."

"Night. Oh, and James?" I called over the thundering rain as he began to walk off. He turned again to face me. "I don't mind if we miss our table next time either."

His face broke into a huge smile before he gave a wave and walked off again. I shut the door to the apartment, pressed my back against it and slid down until I was sitting on the rough carpet, creating a small puddle. I knew that my smile still hadn't left and buried my face in my hands, feeling ecstatically happy.

"Oh Lily," I heard Sarah's soft voice utter as she came out of the kitchen and looked down at me. "I'm so sorry. Meg's just told me all about your history with James and if I'd known…I swear I didn't do it on pur-"

"Sarah," I said into my hands. "I could kiss you right now you daft duck."

"Woah!" came Meg's voice as she too joined us in the hallway. "Potter's just one bloke Lils. No need to go all lesbian on us just because he doesn't represent the male population so well."

"He was perfect," I said looking up.

Meg spat out the tea she'd just been sipping on and Sarah beamed as she saw the smile on my own face.

"I knew it! I just i _knew_ /i it!"

Meg continued to look completely lost.

"Shocker eh?" I said.

"Shocker? You have no idea Lils. Three hours ago you hated him and now you're acting as though you want to have his babies."

"Don't be ridiculous," I said blushing. "Of course I don't want to 'have his babies'…yet-"

"YET?!"

"Joke!" I said holding my hands up defensively. "It was just a joke. After all, we've only been on one date."

I got up and walked past them, but not before muttering, "I'd have to marry the bloke first."

"LILY!"

The End

b **A/N – PLEASE review it, I really want to know what you think** /b 


End file.
